1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flash memory storage device for a computer, and more specifically, to a flash memory storage device for a computer that is secured by a security program and a related method for providing security.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Computer storage media technology is evolving rapidly. While hard drives and CD-ROMs will still be around for years to come because of their high capacity and low cost, new forms of storage are constantly being developed. One technology that appears to have distinct advantages over conventional forms of storage is flash memory. Like conventional storage systems, flash memory is nonvolatile, requiring no power to maintain the stored information, and rewriteable, meaning that it can be used repeatedly with no degradation in quality. However, over conventional forms of storage flash memory chips are more reliable, allow for faster access, and can be made small enough to be portable.
The high cost associated with flash memory makes hard drives and CD-ROMs more suitable for large volume storage applications (650 MB to 160+GB). However, for applications requiring storage in the range of 8 MB to 512 MB, flash memory devices do offer several advantages. For instance, a flash memory device of this storage size can be made to be portable. This puts portable flash memory devices in competition with traditional portable storage devices such as 3½″ floppy disks and specialized high capacity floppy disks, removable hard drives, and tape drives. In fact, portable flash memory devices have advantages over these devices as well. First, portable flash memory devices do not require a drive device to be installed in a computer, only an access port. Second, flash memory access is comparatively fast and does not require moving parts. Finally, portable flash memory devices are not magnetic media and therefore not susceptible to damage from magnetic fields. Because of this, portable flash memory devices will most likely replace other forms of reusable portable storage.
Currently, there are a large number of portable flash memory devices available. The majority of these devices connect to a computer either through a small reader/writer device connected to a port of the computer, or by directly connecting to a port of the computer, said ports typically being universal serial bus (USB) ports. Additionally, some of these flash memory devices provide data security in the form of password-protected access. However, the data security provided requires software to be separately installed on the computer.
The prior art secure flash memory device requires separately supplied software to be installed on the computer prior to using the secure flash memory device. This software must be separately installed on all computers that a user wishes to use the flash memory device on, causing undue inconvenience to the user. Moreover, the software must be distributed on a CD, floppy disk, or through the Internet resulting in excessive expense for the producer of the flash memory device.